NEWS NEWS IN BRIEF
AkzoNobel has finalised the acquisition of French manufacturer, Disa Technology (Disatech), strengthening its global leadership position in supplying industrial, aerospace and automotive coatings. “With the acquisition finalised we can further invest in growth and innovation,” said AkzoNobel COO Paints & Coating, Ruud Joosten. “The technology and knowledge acquired from Disatech strengthens the product and service range we offer customers.” Hot on the heels of opening its new store at Loughton last week, TK Maxx is opening one at Leamington Shopping Park, known formerly as The Shires. The new store, which will stock homewares and fashion, opens at 9am on Thursday, September 21, creating up to 42 new jobs. Advance Brighter Futures has been awarded £5,000 worth of funding from The Screwfix Foundation, which supports projects to improve facilities for those in need. The charity provides community inclusive projects with the aim of improving support networks for people facing mental health problems. The funds will be used to replace the roof of its Wrexham premises. Sainsbury’s is
launching an Argos Click & Collect service in 100 of its Local convenience stores nationwide to be completed by the end of 2017. It will enable customers to order Argos products and collect their purchases closer to where they live or work. The acquisition of Home Retail Group in September last year enabled Sainsbury’s to accelerate its strategy to be a multi-product, multi-channel retailer. Exponent Private Equity LLP has completed its purchase of The Scotts Miracle-Gro Company’s business in Europe and Australia; its brands and products will continue to be manufactured and marketed in Europe and Australia. In Europe the brands include Roundup, Weedol, Pathclear, EverGreen, Levington, Miracle-Gro, KB, Fertiligène, Substral, Osmocote and Naturen; availability is dependent upon the country.
2 DIY WEEK 8 SEPTEMBER 2017 Profits up for Grafton Group
Grafton reported a good first half, driven principally by organic growth across the Group’s businesses. There was a significant improvement in all key measures of financial performance in the period, with an increase in return on capital employed to 13.2%. “We are pleased to report that all geographies contributed to strong growth in revenue and double digit growth in profits and earnings per share in the first half,” said CEO Gavin Slark. “This encouraging outcome leaves us well placed to deliver our full year expectations.” The Selco builders
merchanting model continued to be the focus for development
capital in the UK with the opening of nine new branches so far this year. In addition, the traditional UK merchanting business reported good growth in profit and benefitted from the restructuring implemented in the last quarter of 2016. In Ireland, the market leading
merchanting business delivered a strong improvement in profit in a favourable market that saw good growth in demand in the residential RMI market and a recovery in house building and commercial construction that gained momentum in the period. The branch network was expanded with the opening of three new branches in Dublin; operating profit margin before
property profit increased to 8.0%. Increased investment in the Netherlands merchanting
business combined with positive market conditions delivered good growth in profit.
The 14 branch Gunters en Meuser acquisition, completed in January of this year, made a good contribution to the first half performance. The Woodie’s DIY retailing business in Ireland delivered strong growth in profitability as customers responded positively to the improved shopping experience in its stores; the operating profit margin advanced to 5.6%. CPI
Bunnings ‘juggernaut’ rolls on
Bunnings Warehouse continues its expansion with plans to open a new store in Harlow later this year on the site of the former Homebase, creating more than 25 new full and part-time jobs. The home improvement and outdoor living retailer acquired Homebase for £340 million in February 2016 and plans to invest a further £500 million building a new Bunnings Warehouse business in the UK and Ireland over the next three to five years.
A spokesperson for the company confirmed plans for new Bunnings Warehouse stores in Basingstoke (with 48 full and part-time roles being recruited); Worle near Weston- Super-Mare (with 20 new roles) and its first in South Yorkshire, creating 80 jobs on Forge Way, Parkgate, Rotherham. Team members will all receive
hundreds of hours of training in both product knowledge and
specialist tasks such as paint mixing The new Harlow
store continues the momentum of establishing the Bunnings Warehouse format in the UK, which offers leading brands and products as well as in-store DIY Workshops for customers and support to local community groups. “It is a great time to join the Bunnings Warehouse team here in Harlow,” said complex manager Joanne Broadhurst. “There are roles available across all areas, with hours to suit. “We want to build a high- quality team so we can provide strong business foundations for the future.”
In addition, this week came the news that the Homebase store in Dover has officially
EuroMix increased volumes supplied to the house building market. Profit was well ahead of the prior year and the operating profit margin for the division increased to 21.4%. The Group continued to be in a strong financial position and was cash generative in the period with cash flow from operations of £107.4 million. Net debt fell to £80.2 million from £96.3 million at 31 December 2016 and net worth (total equity) exceeded £1.1 billion.
bira all set for Housewares retail awards
With a month until this year’s Excellence in Housewares Awards, tensions are building to see who will be named bira- Cookshop and Housewares Retailer of the Year.
In the running for Retailer of
announced plans to cease trading and as yet, there are no plans for a Bunnings Warehouse to replace it. “We can confirm that our
store on Dover Business Park is set to close on Saturday, October 7,” commented a spokesperson for Homebase. “Team members at the store have been informed and we are working hard to support them as much as possible.”
the Year 2017 are bira members Art of Living, Banstead, Cobham and Reigate; Barnitts, York; The Kitchen Range, Market Harborough; Lords At Home, six stores in the London area; Potters Cookshop, Hockley and Trevor Mottram, Tunbridge Wells. bira members nominated for Retail Employee of the Year include Rob Falconer, buyer, Steamer Trading; Alison Hobbs, visual merchandiser, Potters Cookshop, Hockley; Maureen Hooker, retail sales manager, Bakers and Larners of Holt; and Lesley Murray, housewares manager, Highland Industrial Supplies, Inverness.
Trago Mills opens £3.5 million Build Centre
The eagerly-awaited new £3.5m Build Centre opened at Trago’s landmark Newton Abbot site last month. A purpose-built stand-alone
retail facility adjacent to the main store, it comprises 2,088 square meters (22,475 square feet) of building materials, tools and work wear. In addition, there is an external stock yard of 1,209 square metres (13,000 square feet) offering a comprehensive range of heavy- sided goods. Geared towards the construction and building trade, there is an expanded range for Trago’s DIY customers.
DIY products currently account for approximately 20% of the discount retailer’s turnover. In addition to opening at 7am on Monday-Saturday (10am on Sunday), trade customers will benefit from account facilities together with discount schemes through Trago’s contract sales division Trago2Business. “The opening of the Garden Park in 2009 and subsequent vacating of the former Garden Centre site has finally allowed us to deliver a vision that has been nurtured for many years, to provide a better, more comprehensive service to the
building trade,” said chairman and owner Bruce Robetson. “It has the virtue
of releasing space within the retail store, allowing the business to re-focus on home improvement and decorative products, the finishing touches if you will: this however remains a work in progress until the Build Centre is open for business and that floor space becomes available. Our customers, whether improving
their homes or ‘in the trade’, will find a new depth to the offer with much more choice, more brands and at better than ever Trago prices.”
www.diyweek.net
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28